Game News This horror video game is like no other! I tried Conscript and it is an experience you will hardly forget
This new horror game could well stand out during the Steam Neo Fest period… The demo is now available, we played it and we tell you about our experience!
Imagine going to war… You are sent to the trenches to defend your country, the whistling of grenades has replaced the singing of birds and on the ground there are no more flowers but a mixture of mud and blood. Welcome to Conscrpit, an isometric survival horror game set in 1916 during World War Ispecifically during the Battle of Verdun. A game that, apart from its relatively new framework for the genre, is inspired by the greatest such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill. A demo is now available on Steam as part of Neo Fest. I played it and here’s what I thought about it.
In war as in war
In Conscript, you play André, a young soldier who goes to war accompanied by his little brother Pierre. Both defended Fort Souville, which was attacked by German forces. After an offensive, André finds Pierre seriously injured and helps him join the medical team before disappearing. The entire plot is then based on the search for your brother in the middle of the trenches.
From there, Conscript takes you into a labyrinth of labyrinthine corridors. It’s up to you to find your way without succumbing to the attacks of German soldiers. To do this, the game provides a map that is updated in real time (an annotation to indicate a closed door, a doodle to highlight an important detail, etc.) – like in Silent Hill. A very important tool, especially because the title regularly asks you to retrace your steps in order to use the key object. Of course, new enemies will have appeared in the meantime, which again refers to the structure of the classics of the genre. All in all, here you are asked to be prepared for all eventualities and to systematically search the environment for bandages, ammunition or cigarettes (which serve as a means of payment).
Exploration phases that will not be fun. On the edge of combat (we will come back to this) you will regularly hear screams of agony, fear and German soldiers shooting at your allies. The sound design succeeds in immersing us in the horror of war, and the visuals reinforce a form of constant uneasethanks to graphics that seem to come straight out of the PS1/GameBoy Advance era. Even if we eventually recognize everything that is on the screen, every detail is constantly “parasitized” by pixels, and this works very well for this type of atmosphere.
In the first line
On the combat side, André has the ability to sprint and roll, which consumes his stamina bar. He will face different types of enemies, for example soldiers armed with studded bats and others who prefer ranged weapons (according to the developer, there will also be strange creatures throughout the game). Be careful, as some enemies are tougher than others. However, it is possible to avoid fights by hiding in hiding places closed off by curtains.
Generally, The action phases of Conscript are somewhat rigid and initially vagueespecially because the game does not offer a tutorial (we go straight to the front on the orders of our superiors). A rigidity that we owe in particular to the charged attacks – the most effective in close combat – which force André to remain motionless before delivering his blow. It is clear that having to repeat the operation is not really pleasant. In one-on-one mode, it is monotonous but doable. When you are faced with several opponents, things quickly become complicated. This is where weapons come into play.
If at the beginning you only have a shovel to fight with, you will quickly find firearms with which to face the German forces. In this demo we find three: the rifle, the shotgun and the pistol. You must be careful with your ammunition because every shot counts and it is crucial to choose the right weapon depending on the situation. There is even a certain realism in its use. For example, every time you fire a shot with the rifle you must remove the cartridge case (by simply pressing a button). The same goes for the pump shotgun, which requires the cartridges to be removed after each detonation. This small detail increases the tension in the clashes and you must pay attention to the distance that separates you from the enemy.
Your arsenal can be upgraded at a merchant, in exchange for weapon parts hidden here and there on the map, or by defeating certain enemies. Of course, it will also be possible to sell and buy items for cigarettes (which you could find absolutely everywhere back then, since they were so common back then). However, be careful with overloading objects, e.g. The inventory management system, which consists of boxes, is inspired by Resident Evil. Each item and piece of equipment, including weapons, takes up a single slot that you can expand over time. You can also combine certain items to create others, such as mixing chemical liquids with gunpowder to create ammo. With a little sleight of hand, you can carry a lot of equipment in your bag. And finally, in another homage to Capcom’s survival horror, saves are limited by default and require ink cartridges.
Jordan Mochi, the creator of the project, has been developing Conscript alone since the beginning of 2017. The title will be published by Team17, which produced Dredge and Blasphemous 2. The title was originally only supposed to be released on Steam, but the survival horror will be available for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC and Switch from July 23rd.
